The Death of a King
by InuyashaKagome1778
Summary: Short fic about Sarah learning of the death of Jareth, his farewell letter to her, and how it will affect her own life. Complete.


The coffee cup smashed against the floor, sending shards of glass and hot coffee splashing.

"Sarah!?" David's concerned voice came from the table.

She couldn't breathe. It was as if someone had sucker punched her in the chest. Her knees wobbled and her back hit the cabinets hard as she slid down to the floor.

"Sarah, Sarah!?" David's voice called again more frantically.

She could hear David, but it was as if she was in a bubble. She felt as if the floor had dropped out beneath her and took part of her soul with her.

And then she knew. Oh God, she knew what had happened.

Scrambling to her feet, she pushed past David, into the living room pounded up the stairs, stumbling as she reached the top. Her mind set on her destination, she flung herself into her bedroom, shutting the door and locking it in the same motion.

Heart pounding, she reached her vanity and clung to the stool before she tipped it over in her haste. This was the one piece of furtniture she took with her when she had moved out of her parents house.

The mirror before her reflected her wide and frightened eyes as she called out.

"Hoggle, I need you."

The mirror remained reflecting her own visage. The rippling static that usually started after she called for one of her friends did not appear. It remained blank.

"Sir Didymus, I need you." She called frantically.

Her reflection began to panic her.

"Ludo?" She called in a small, pathetic voice, hysteria beginning to enter her mind.

Nothing.

None of them were answering, yet in her heart, she knew who she should call out to. Breathing deeply to try and calm herself, she said:

"Jareth, I need you." She had never uttered the words before and they seemed foreign as they hung heavily in the air.

The mirror turned an inky black and her breath left her in some relief.

Within the inky blackness, a spotlight shone. Light illuminated an ivory colored envelope seeming to be hanging in space. Hesitantly, she reached forward and felt the mirror give way before her, the cool feel of a water or gel floating just above her skin. Grasping the envelope, she pulled it through and felt the envelope become real in her world. It sat heavily in her hand, crafted from fine, heavy paper. Her name was written in flowing letters across the front. Turning it, her eyes fell on the unmistakable insignia of the Goblin King stamped within glittering, blue wax. An owl feather.

Squeezing her eyes shut and preparing herself, she carefully broke the seal and slid the top piece of paper out. The card was adorned with a simple black border, with a short message typed in the middle.

 _The King is dead._

Her stomach dropped. The words began to blur before her eyes and soon it was no more than an murky line of black on ivory. She did not need to know anything more to know that it was _her_ King.

He was dead.

Impossible.

A man as exciting and full of life and magical as the Goblin King could not be dead.

Another folded piece of parchment still lay in the envelope and she gingerly slid it out next.

Steeling herself, she unfolded it and began to read:

 _Dear Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth,_

 _You may be startled to find that I am contacting you now, years after our fateful encounter, but I wanted to personally tell you. I am dying. There is no way to reverse it. I won't go into the details of how this came to occur, but just know that it was either my life or that of the Labyrinth. I did what was right._

 _When you successfully ran the Labyrinth, you became the first human during my reign to every complete it and win back the child you had wished away. In that same instant, you became the one champion of the Labyrinth who would be awarded certain powers that would allow you to retain contact with the friends that you had met on your journey. These powers are a gift from my own store of magic as a sign of goodwill. My magic is not a individual object however. It will not thrive without a vessel to contain it. When I die, it will die with me. Do you understand what I am saying Sarah?_

 _You were my champion. Alas, after I am gone, the mirror portal that connects our worlds will be severed. There is nothing I can do for this. My magic was what allowed you to view the inhabitants of this world, and they you. Without it, the connection cannot exist. In plain words, you will never be able to contact your friends again and for that I am truly sorry. I know how much they mean to you and how much you mean to them. Now, do not be rash and try to wish yourself away, it will fall upon deaf ears...or rather dead ears. (My apologies, I try to make light of this dark time). This letter will only be delivered to you after I am dead. I pray that you can come to terms with this._

 _I want you to know that I have l_ _ooked in on your from time to time as your life progressed., watching you become a beautiful and successful young woman._ _I have even seen your husband, David. He is a fine man for you Sarah. You must know that I held you in very high regard when I realized that you had successfully beaten me, even with every obstacle that I presented to you. Your soul is very much like those of my subjects. Full of life and a wonder of magic. However, you could never exist in our world. You are needed in the human world, to spread magic and tell tales of kings and goblins and bogs of stench._

 _Please do not feel sorrow for me, for I am surrounded by a loving family of my own. Shortly after you left, I met my loving wife, Iman, and we have two beautiful children, Zowie and Alexandria. I hope that your David brings you as much joy as my family does._

 _I hope that you remember your times in the Labyrinth with nothing but joy and happy memories. Continue to tell our story. Continue to keep us alive in your heart._

 _Sincerely yours,_

 _Jareth_

She clutched the letter to her breast, being careful not to crumple it too much.

"Sarah? Please open the door."

Sarah watched as the inky mirror slowly faded back to her own reflection. Her cheeks were ruddy and wet as she wiped away the moisture that had gathered there. The music box that she had from her childhood still rested on her vanity, childish among her jewelry and makeup. Picking it up, she cranked the lever on the bottom until it began to play it's beautiful song. She then pressed her thumb to the side and a hidden box sprung from the side. A small key was its only contents.

Rising slowly from her seat, she walked to her closet and standing on her tip toes was able to reach the large box on the highest shelf. Pulling down the heavy wooden box, she caressed the insignia of the Goblin King that had been etched just above the keyhole.

With a soft click, the top unlatched and she saw her memories of the Labyrinth resting inside.

The clothes she had worn sat on top, faded slightly from time. A little bit of glitter still clung to the hem of the jeans. The figurine that reminded her so much of the Goblin King was wrapped in lightweight paper, as well as a few stuffed animals that reminded her of her friends and knick knacks that her friends had brought her over the years. And at the very bottom, was the red, leather bound book. Picking it up gingerly, she turned the pages to the very last page.

 _And so, the girl became the Champion of the Labyrinth and was loved greatly by all inhabitants of the Labyrinth._

And there, just before the large print of "The End" at the bottom of the page, there was a note scrawled there that had not been there before.

 _Even the King._

Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, but Sarah sniffed them away as she caressed the cursive written there. She kissed the letter in her hand before folding it and placing it between the last page and back cover of the book. She returned everything to the box and placed it back on the high shelf before slipping the key back into its hidden drawer.

Turning the knob of the door, a figure fell through. David.

Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed Sarah's hands in his.

"Sarah, are you alright?" He asked moving one hand to run it along her cheek.

Smiling, Sarah lifted her own and placed it on his.

"I will be in time." She said.

David looked at her perplexed as she walked through the doorway and began to make her way back downstairs pulling him along.

"I have a story to tell you." Sarah said with a watery smile. "Once upon a time, there lived a great King. The King of the Goblins...Jareth." 

THE END


End file.
